Securing apps

Purpose

You can improve the security of your Windows Store app using the authentication and cryptography capabilities provided by the Windows Runtime. You can use the different authentication APIs to verify the identity of a user as well as verify user consent for purchases or other actions. You can use the cryptography APIs to secure data and resources and verify trust relationships through encryption and digital signatures.

In this section

You have several options for user authentication in Windows Store apps that can provide both convenience for authenticated users, such as single sign-on (SSO) or persisted user credentials, and highly secure authentication such as smart card authentication or authentication using trusted certificates.

Selective Wipe protects data that is specific to your app and is useful for securing data for businesses and enterprises. You can use selective wipe to identify protected files in your app that can be revoked when a user of your app is no longer authorized to your app data. This is a common scenario for businesses that allow employees to bring their own device to work. When the employee leaves the company, the company files on their personal device can be removed.

Developer audience

The security namespaces are intended for use by developers who want to provide user login, help protect digital data, verify data, or use certificates to authenticate clients and servers. You should be familiar with XAML app development with C#, C++, or Visual Basic.